Saturday 13 February 2010

Beauty tips Spring / summer 2010

Spring clean your make-up bag! It is time to chuck out the foundation, ditch the powder blusher and bury the black eyeliner.

Fashion Update:

The new spring/summer looks include:

-Red intense lips
-A fresh illuminated face
-Delicate pastel eyes
-Bold bright colours


A word on colour:

Be inspired by strong spring colours….think bluebells, buttercups and roses….Pastel colours are back, choose from a wide array of lilacs, lavenders, soft pinks and peaches. However, the hottest colour for spring/summer 2010 is Turquoise. A colour that most people respond to positively. It is universally flattering, has appeal for men and women, and translates easily to fashion. Other spring/summer colours include eighties inspired bright candy pinks and oranges.

Nails:

If you are drawn to a colour but don’t feel confident wearing it on your face, wear it on your nails instead! Choose from bright pinks, corals, blues, greens, lavenders or softer pastel shades.

I recommend applying O.P.I Start to Finish Base and Topcoat for outstanding shine and longwearing colour.

Splurge:Chanel Le Vernis: 507 tendresse /orange fizz (peachy shades, £16).

Steal: Essie have great spring shades including tart deco, neo whimsical, mint candy apple and lilacism (£9.00).

Highly recommended: Barry M (In Style Beauty awards winner of ‘Best inexpensive Nail polish Range 2009’). Choose from mint green, fuchsia, pink flamingo, and acid yellow (£2.95)


Cheeks:

Keep cheeks fresh and youthful by opting for shades of coral. If you like defined cheekbones you can use a little bronzing powder under the cheekbone to sculpt. Apply blusher to the apples of the cheeks. Use fingertips to blend, pat the colour gently, never rub! Choose cream or liquid blusher to achieve a natural summer glow. I recommend Daniel Sandler water colour blusher £11.00 Lover (bright pink) and spicey (peach). Available at Harrods Urban Retreat. I love
Bobbi Brown Pot rouge for lips and cheeks (Winner of the Instyle beauty award for ‘Best cream Blusher 2010’) Shade: Cabo coral £16.50 Cabana corals Collection achieves a great peachy fresh glow. For a shimmering “wow factor” dust a little Bobbi Brown Nectar shimmer brick onto face and décolletage (£29) to complete your look.

Lips:

For a bright pout go for a matte red. I like MAC Ruby Woo Lipstick £12.50. Apply a similar shade of lip pencil to create a perfect lip. It is easier to draw with a lip pencil if you brush a little concealer over the edges of the lips beforehand to define the lips.
For a natural lip, try new Givenchy Printed Lips in shade ‘Pink Impression’. This felt tip pen creates perfectly drawn lips that are hydrated and tinted with healthy radiance (Limited edition £16). I also recommend Bobbi brown’s new eye and lip palette (£48), this set contains a set of modern wearable fresh coral shades.


Base:

The spring/summer look is all about keeping skin looking natural, glowy and radiantly sun kissed. Skin should look illuminated. I recommend using Laura Mercier tinted Bronzing gel or a tinted moisturizer. Next apply a little concealer with a synthetic hair brush where you need a little extra coverage. Always apply concealer after using a tinted moisturizer as you want to be very precise for a flawless finish. Go very lightly on the powder. I like to use a little MAC Mineralise skinfinish natural pressed powder available in 8 shades £18.Keep make-up ultra fresh by using Evian mist (available at Boots) this will fix make-up in place and achieve a dewy finish. Compliment this look with great eyelashes achieved using metal eyelash curlers. Hold curlers in place for about twenty seconds, I like to pulse them a little as well by simply gently releasing every few seconds. Find a mascara that suits your lashes and apply two or three coats. I adore the new Givenchy Phenomen Eyes Mascara which has an innovative new design (spherical brush) which reaches everywhere to achieve spectacular results (£23). For those on a budget try a similar Loreal telescopic Explosion Mascara (£9.99).


Eyes:

Always apply an eye base/primer to the eyelids before eye shadow to keep eye make-up fresh and crease resistant all day long. My firm favourite is MAC Eye paint in Untitled.

I like to think there are no rules with make-up but having said that if you have green eyes generally lilacs and pinks look great, blue eyes usually suit corals and bronzes and brown eyes look good in most colours, particularly green.

For a natural look sweep a pastel shade over the lid blending into the eye socket. Team with a fresh pink or soft coral on the lips and cheeks for a pretty day look. I like Daniel Sandler Eye shadow 5A15 (pastel turquoise) £10. If you love the new bright colours at the moment apply the colour over the lid and blend well in to the eye socket. Brush a slightly lighter shade over the edges of the brighter colour to achieve a well blended professional finish. I love MAC Eye shadow Aquadisiac (£11.00). Barry M Dazzle dust in teal and yellow (£4.50) are also great bargain buys. If you are worried about wearing a bright shadow try using a bright colour as an eye liner along the lash line to get a hint of the shade. Choose either a gel or pencil or opt for eye shadow applied with an angled brush (I like Mac #266 brush). If you have time apply a wash of a lighter colour on the lid. For example a bright turquoise liner works well with a softer version of the same shade on the lid blended well into the socket.

In need of a little extra help then why not book a personal/group make-up lesson with me and save 20% when you mention my blog!

Niki Stannett Freelance Make-up Artist
www.nikimakeup.com